


Joint Custody

by Capicada



Category: Big Hero 6 (2014)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon Disabled Character, Character Study, Drug Abuse, F/M, Fluff, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Original Android, Original Character(s), Other
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-03-23
Updated: 2015-03-23
Packaged: 2018-03-19 07:36:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,955
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3601725
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Capicada/pseuds/Capicada
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The saying is “keep your friends close and your enemies closer,” not “keep your friends close and accidentally develop your own enemy AI.” Hiro Hamada isn’t even sure why that’s a thing.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Joint Custody

“Hiro, I am going to the White Swallow Penitentiary Center.”

The proclamation, said in Baymax’s soft autotuned voice, didn’t register until a few seconds later when the name clicked and Hiro turned around with a start. He would have thought that being with the robot for nearly six months would mean no more surprises.

“What? Why?” He squeaked.

“It would appear that Robert Callaghan has suffered from multiple injuries and has not been treated for them, and according to his hormone levels he has not been given medication for his other health issues either. I must remedy this situation at once,” Baymax replied.

“Wait wait wait wait Baymax!” Hiro practically fell out of his chair as Baymax turned to leave the room. “Why are you going to help Callaghan? Did you forget about all the times he tried to kill us, or are you planning on visiting all the other bad guys we locked up too?”

“I am programmed to assist everyone’s health care needs,” Baymax stated simply as he waddled through the door, and Hiro couldn’t help but stare in slack-jawed amazement for a few moments before following suit. He could already see that any argument he could come up with wouldn’t be able to measure up against Baymax’s health protocols, and if anyone had ever wondered if robots could hold grudges the answer seemed to have just presented itself. Hugging Aunt Cass goodbye and ignoring the stares of fellow passengers as he helped Baymax into the trolley, Hiro realized that for the last few months Callaghan hadn’t even crossed his mind. With training with the team, Christmas and New Years with the newest family member, and keeping up with the curriculum at SFIT, there had not been much time left over for hateful musings or even fantasies of revenge.

What would he even say to him Callaghan they got to the Center? That Baymax had made him come? That he hoped he got a million tons of coal for Christmas? Would he even be able to bring himself to say anything at all? He was so lost in pondering that if not for Baymax once again getting caught in the trolley opening he would’ve missed the stop completely. The reality of what he was walking into fully hit him once they reached the gates of the Center, and Hiro could practically feel his pounding heart clawing its way up his throat as Baymax began to walk toward the Center’s doors.

“Baymax, wait!” Stopping in his tracks, Baymax turned back around expectantly and Hiro realized he hadn’t thought of anything to say. “Um, I mean, have you even thought about what you’re gonna say to the guy?”

“Yes. A full report on his physical condition, recommendation for future treatments, and possibly permission to teach the patient self defense are possible topics. It would also seem that asking the guards about what kind of health care protocol this establishment uses will also be necessary.”

Baymax began to walk towards the doors of the Center once again, and in a last ditch attempt to stop him Hiro blurted out “What if Callaghan refuses your help?”

Baymax turned back around and cocked his head, and for just a moment Hiro thought he had won.

“Callaghan maintains the right to refuse health care, but the option of offering it first is also a right,” and with that Baymax turned right back around and entered the building, leaving a sputtering Hiro to fumble in behind him.

Since deterring Baymax seemed to be a lost cause Hiro hoped to be turned away at the front desk, but it turned out that he was somehow on Callaghan’s visiting list, and after presenting his school ID and having his fingers scanned both Hiro and Baymax were escorted by a walking behemoth of a guard to the visiting room. The room itself was smaller than Hiro expected and seemed to be about halfway full with people with a huge Christmas tree taking up space in the corner, and as he and Baymax were seated he couldn’t help but wonder what Callaghan’s reaction would be. He was entertaining thoughts of Callaghan groveling and begging for forgiveness at his feet when a thought practically slapped him in the face.

_ What if Callaghan held a grudge against him now? _

_ What if he got angry? _

**_ What if he and Baymax were in danger? _ **

Hiro had been so distracted by the the innocent altruism of Baymax that the threat of violence had never occurred to him. If Callaghan was willing to risk his entire life in the name of revenge what difference would a little extra jail time for assault make to him? What if that was the whole reason Hiro had been put on his visiting list? Heart now hammering in his chest Hiro frantically grabbed onto Baymax’s arm, Baymax turning to stare down at him questioningly.  

“Baymax, this wasn’t a good idea. If Callaghan put us on his visiting  list then maybe he wanted to meet us so he could get a chance to hurt us. We didn’t bring our gear or anything. We need to leave. **Now**!”

“I cannot deactivate until my patient is satisfied with their care,” Baymax said, and Hiro’s eyes practically bulged out of his skull. He was going to pull that card now?

“I’m not asking you to deactivate, I’m asking you to leave! Right now we’re sitting ducks. Well, you’re a sitting marshmallow, but you get my point. If it gets you that wrapped around the axle we can come back later when we have more protection, but right now we need to leave so we can still be alive to come back later.”

“The initial scan of Callaghan’s injuries suggested he needs immediate attention. To leave now would be detrimental to his health,” Baymax said, turning back to face the prisoner entrance. Hiro was bordering on becoming hysterical with panic, the urge to bolt unbearably overwhelming, but fear for Baymax kept him rooted to his chair and all he could do was stare at the ground to distract himself. For what felt like years he stared at the floor, determined to forget where he was and who he was meeting, but eventually a quiet shuffle of feet brought him back to reality and he looked up to see Callaghan being ushered in by the guard. There was an obvious limp to his gait as he approached the table, and Hiro noticed that he also seemed to be favoring his ribs as a small grunt of pain escaped him as he sat down in the opposite chair. Hiro tried to brace himself for an outburst, a million different ways for his organs to be strung up on the Christmas tree in the corner running through his mind, but to his surprise when Callaghan looked up to greet them his eyes went wide and he recoiled in his chair.  

“H-Hamada?” He squeaked out, and before Hiro could regain enough brain function to even fathom a reply he was cut off by the high screech of a chair. Baymax was now standing, the chair lying on its side from having popped off, and without waiting for a signal from the guard Baymax tottered his way over to Callaghan and promptly began his spiel.

“Hello, I am Baymax, your personal health care companion,” Baymax proclaimed while performing his customary wave. Hiro hadn’t thought it possible but Callaghan’s eyes got even wider. “It would seem that you have sustained significant damage to your liver and vagus nerve, and judging from the abrasions under your ninth and tenth ribs, shock to your liver most likely caused incapacitation and shortness of breath. From the amount of damage done to your liver combined with your high risk of cardiovascular disease, immediate treatment is advised.”

Baymax extended his arm out expectantly, and after some hesitation Callaghan complied, the shock seeming to have worn off.

“Have you experienced nausea, fatigue, loss of appetite, and/or diarrhea?” Hiro heard a faint “yes” come from Callaghan, and he sincerely hoped Baymax would not ask which symptom he was confirming.

“Then a hepatitis vaccine or an immunoglobulin shot is recommended. Which would you prefer?”

“Immunoglobulin, please,” Callaghan said softly, and Baymax’s index finger produced a syringe which he promptly stuck into Callaghan’s arm. “Proper diet, hygiene, and moderate ingestion of alcohol are also common treatments to prevent liver failure. Tattoos are heavily advised against.”

Without thinking Hiro snorted, “because someone like him would totally get a tattoo,” and in the same instant that he realized he had spoken aloud he felt two pairs of eyes settle on him and he fidgeted nervously in his seat.

“According to the crime shows you watch it is a common practice amongst prison inmates, Hiro. It is merely a precaution that must be expressed,” Baymax said before turning back to Callaghan. “It would also seem that you have not been administered any medication for your acute stress disorder.”

“His acute what?” said Hiro. “My acute what?” said Callaghan, looking a bit pale.  

“Your acute stress disorder. According to prior scans and encounters, your symptoms include dissociative episodes, emotional detachment, and abnormal levels of  stress and anxiety. Common medication to consider includes serotonin reuptake inhibitors, antidepressants, anti-anxiety and panic-disorder drugs such as Prozac, Paxil, Cymbalta-”

“Baymax!”

Baymax immediately stopped, swiveling his head to  face him, and for what felt like the millionth time today Hiro realized he’d spoken without thinking of what he was going to say.

“Uhh...Callaghan can’t prescribe himself medication. Why don’t you ask the guard who can instead?” Hiro said, watching the color drain from Callaghan’s face out of the corner of his eye. Baymax, pausing to consider it, promptly circled around to talk to the flustered guard instead and continued to list off possible medications, leaving Hiro alone with Callaghan.

“Uh...you feel any better now?” Hiro asked hesitantly, trying to come off as casual.

“I’m fine,” Callaghan grunted brusquely in reply, shifting to the side as though Hiro was personally offending him and Hiro had to suppress the urge to groan. He was supposed to be the 14 year old here, and if Callaghan was just going to be difficult then he didn’t even know why he had stopped Baymax in the first place. It was nice that Callaghan hadn’t disemboweled him on sight, but that didn’t make Hiro like him any more than he did. He should’ve let Baymax continue. Let the man squirm a little, see how nice it felt. However, as the seconds ticked by and the air remained dead between them Hiro couldn’t help but squirm himself, growing more and more uncomfortable by the second. Why couldn’t Baymax just cut to the chase so they could go? It wasn’t like there was anything else to talk about other than the obvious, and it was clear neither of them were willing or able to open that can of worms.

He was about to go for the classic ‘so how’s the weather’ until his eye caught Callaghan wincing and massaging his ribs again. _Well, it is why we came here._

“So...um...how’d that happen?” Hiro asked, gesturing at Callaghan’s side. Callaghan started, clearly not expecting a conversation.

“What?” He asked dazedly.

“Your liver and your ribs or whatever. How’d that happen?”

Callaghan followed Hiro’s gaze and looked down to his ribs as though he’d just remembered they were there. A look of uncertainty flickered across his face, as though he was a child caught doing something he should’ve have. After a few more seconds of indecision he took a deep breath and sighed, giving his ribs a half-hearted pat before he spoke.

“You have some friends in here that don’t appreciate your...bot fighting. They came to me for help, I declined, and this was their response.” Callaghan said, looking pointedly at Hiro.

“Bot fighting?” Hiro balked, face scrunching up in confusion. “But I haven’t been bot fighting in months--”

It all clicked the very next second and he froze, his heart beating violently   

_Our identities._

“Uh...I mean...um, wow...I uh…” Hiro stuttered, completely lost. What was he supposed to say in response? They had been able to keep their secret safe from the press by wiping city camera feeds and tinting their visors, but no one on the team had known what to do about Callaghan’s knowledge of who they were. Gogo had suggested that they threaten him to keep him quiet, Honey and Wasabi had thought bribery would be the most effective, and Fred had been stubbornly set on wiping Callaghan’s memory (when and how they were supposed to erase Callaghan’s memory he didn’t care to elaborate on).

However, as the months stretched on with no decision reached and no sign that they had been exposed  the issue had been placed on the backburner behind bigger fish to fry. Now that he thought about it, of course the enemies that they had defeated recently would try to bully Callaghan into giving up their names. But why would he not give them up? According to Fred, Callaghan was their arch nemesis. The Yin to their Yang, their beginning and hopefully not their end. But arch nemeses didn’t usually go out of their way to protect the heroes.

“Hiro, your heart rate has increased exponentially.” Baymax said, momentarily distracted from guard.

“Huh?” Hiro said, snapping out of his musings. “Oh I’m fine Baymax, just… surprised.”

“Alright. It would be wise to remember not to put too much duress on your heart, as it has been statistically proven that--”

“I got it Baymax.” Hiro said, and after a moment to make sure he was alright Baymax turned back and resumed his speech to the guard. The silence stretched for a little while longer as Hiro calmed down. Realizing he had nothing else to say, Hiro resigned himself to saying the obvious.

“Thank you, I guess. For keeping my secret safe.” Hiro managed to stammer out, red coloring his cheeks.

“You’re welcome,” Callaghan quietly replied, and when Hiro chanced a look he seemed intent on staring at the table. It occurred to Hiro that he was just as confused on where this left them as well, and while it certainly didn’t make things less awkward it did make him feel a little better to know he wasn’t the only one.

“Um, kid?”

Both Hiro and Callaghan turned to face the guard, who looked like he had just barely stopped Baymax long enough to speak.

“Yes, sir?” Hiro said, getting up out of his chair.

“Look, you need to tell your...robot that I’m not the one in charge of medication. I’m not even in charge of **him**. I’m just a guard. If you want to ask about medication you’d have to schedule an appointment with Dr. Reid.”

“Then take me to your leader please.”Baymax said with all the sincerity in the world. The guard, truly perplexed by now, looked to Hiro for an explanation.

“Sorry, he’s been watching too much Doctor Who. He means he wants to see the doctor.”

“Well okay, good for him, but an appointment still has to be scheduled. I’m not the one who makes the rules, I just enforce them,” the guard said with a huff.

“Well, thing is Mr….” Hiro leaned in to squint to read the guard’s small name tag. “Walker, Baymax isn’t any ol’ joe schmoe visitor. Baymax is a certified healthcare robot. Therefore, not only is he qualified to talk to this Dr. Reid but there’s also no law that applies to him that says he has to ‘schedule’ anything. He’s a marshmallow, not a person. He could just waltz right up and see him right now, and Baymax isn’t going to leave until he’s sure his patient is satisfied with their care. Isn’t that right Baymax?”

“Callaghan is my patient. His health is my only concern,” Baymax parroted back,

“So if you don’t mind, we’d like to be taken to your leader.” Hiro said, not being able to help the smug tone coating his voice. The guard opened his mouth to object but quickly shut it again, running a hand through his hair with a sigh instead.

“Look, I can take you up to meet him, but I can’t promise an appointment. Why don’t you just schedule one for next week? You can even visit Mr. Callaghan again while you’re here, make it a two-for-one deal.”

“A follow-up would be the best course of action to pursue in light of the circumstances,” Baymax chimed in. He waddled to Callaghan’s side, producing a lollipop with a crinkle of cellophane.

“You have been a good boy. Have a lollipop,” he said, holding it right up to Callaghan’s face.

Callaghan looked to the guard for reassurance before taking the treat. “Thank you, Baymax,” he said, clearing his throat, and at this point the whole exchange was so surreal that Hiro  simply rolled with it.

“C’mon Baymax, we gotta go see this doctor before Aunt Cass starts wondering where we are,” he said, pushing in his chair while Baymax attempted to do the same.

“I’ll drop Mr. Callaghan here back off at his cell, and then I’ll come back for you and your robot Mr. Hamada,” the guard said, helping Callaghan out of his chair.

“Hiro, we will back next week for a follow-up, correct?” Baymax asked, cocking his head questioningly, and as Hiro opened his mouth to answer he spared one last glance back to Callaghan as the guard was leading him back. He couldn’t stop a small smile from forming when he saw the white stick of a lollipop poking out from Callaghan’s  mouth.

“Yeah, I think we will.”

**Author's Note:**

> The procedure for visiting inmates is as accurate as I could get it, but in reality Hiro would have had to fill out a lot of forms beforehand to even get on Callaghan’s visiting list. What is accuracy.


End file.
